Fast-acting low voltage liquid crystal stereo glasses

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of optoelectronics and display technology and can be used in high speed stereoscopic glasses when working with any type of 3D display, designed to operate with active stereo glasses with standard (60-160 Hz), high (hundreds of Hz) and ultrahigh (several kilohertz) frame rate. According to the invention in optical shutters of high-speed stereo glasses a layer of the helix-free ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) with optimized physical parameters is used. The technical result is an increase of the optical contrast of FLC shutters, reducing the amplitude of the control voltage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a 371 national stage application of International Application PCT / RU2013 / 001011, filed Nov. 13, 2013, and claims the priority of Russian Application No. 2012147959, filed on Nov. 13, 2012.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The invention relates to the field of optoelectronics and display technology and can be used in high-speed stereoscopic glasses when working with any type of 3D display, designed to operate with active stereo glasses with standard (60-160 Hz), high (hundreds of Hz) and ultrahigh (several kilohertz) frame rate.[0004]The invention relates to the field of three-dimensional (3D) displays, more particularly to stereoscopic displays, and can be used to create liquid crystal (LC) stereo glasses that provide high quality of stereo images when working with various relevant 3D displays at standard (60-160 Hz), high (hundreds Hz) and ultra-high (up to several kHz) frame rates.[0005]...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]The object of the invention is to improve the quality of stereo images for any timing parameters of foreshortenings playback, when stereo glasses work with any relevant 3D display.

[0019]Improving the quality of stereo images is provided by the achievement of the first technical result—increasing the optical contrast of FLC shutters. Increasing the optical contrast is due to the lack of ferroelectric domains in helix-free FLC layer that are capable to scatter the light, that, in turn, is due to, firstly, the absence of a helix (i.e., FLC initial deformation promoting arising the ferroelectric domains), and secondly, significant decreasing the value of spontaneous polarization in the helix-free FLC layer that can cause the appearance of ferroelectric domains.

[0020]The second technical result is decreasing the amplitude of the control voltage down to ±1.5 V for optical shutters based on helix-free FLC. Both technical results are interrelated since decreasing almost half the value of the control voltage also contributes to the lack of deformations (induced by the electric field) of the helix-free FLC director, which could result in arising the ferroelectric domains and light scattering.

[0021]The reduction of the control voltage in optical shutters also results in significant improving the energy efficiency of stereo glasses, because the power consumption is mainly determined by the electric power consumed by optical shutters, when they are switched, and this power is proportional to the square of the switching voltage.

Problems solved by technology

Known stereo glasses with optical NLC shutters do not provide a high frame rate and a small duration of playback of foreshortenings of images, and thus a high quality of a stereo image.

However, when known high-speed stereo glasses are used the quality of stereo image is reduced due to the scattering of light in a layer of helix FLC because of its non-optimal physical parameters selected without taking into account the specific timing parameters of frames with foreshortenings.

The presence of light scattering centers results in FLC partial depolarization and corresponding diminishing the optical contrast of optical shutters with helix FLC, i.e. reducing the quality of stereo images.

However, for a work with arbitrary timing parameters of playback of stereo image foreshortenings it is difficult to provide the absence of scattering centers in a helix FLC layer of the optical shutter with fixed physical parameters, i.e. there are problems to obtain the equally high quality of observed stereo images in the known high-speed stereo glasses in the case of a work with different relevant 3D displays, characterized by different frame rates and variable duration of foreshortenings playback.

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